Wake up. Stay woke.

The term “woke” has been a rallying cry for the political right for years. Things reached a fever pitch during the 2024 presidential campaigns with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calling it “a form of cultural Marxism” and “a war on the truth” and Nikki Haley labeling it “a virus worse than any pandemic.” Yikes, that’s really scary. Now, a “war on woke” justifies attacking and denigrating any person, program or policy considered socially progressive or left-leaning.

The word “woke” is traced to a recording of the protest song “Scottsboro Boys” by renowned blues artist Lead Belly in the 1930s. The Scottsboro Boys were nine Black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women. In the song, “stay woke” was used to urge Black Americans to be aware of the potential for racist violence in the South.

“Woke” regained popularity at the start of the Black Lives Matter movement after the fatal shooting by police of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, with its use more consistent with historical meanings. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “encouraging awareness and attentiveness to important facts and issues especially those associated with racial and social justice.”

I have been engaged in racial and social justice activism and advocacy for over 40 years. According to the Webster definition, I am woke. My political leanings, though, are more nuanced. I describe myself as a left of center Democrat and I reject extremism on either end of the political spectrum. I also don’t blindly accept the status quo and believe by working together seriously, we can deliver concrete results for the American people.

It is undeniable that Donald Trump decisively won the 2024 election. Nor is it refutable that the electorate voiced extreme frustration with decades of post-industrial economic transformation that has left average Americans struggling to get ahead, or that many voters believed the immigration system was severely flawed. However, 49.8% of the vote is hardly the massive mandate Trump and the Republican Party have claimed to justify its current sweeping agenda.

Whether Trump led the hysterical, anti-woke rhetoric during the campaign or not, he rode the associated culture wars all the way to the White House and it is now powering his agenda. One week into the new administration, his disdain for our government, his dictatorial tendencies and his contempt for anyone who disagrees with him are in full view. He is single-handedly scorching widely accepted and hard-fought American ideals by brandishing his presidential pen like a blowtorch.

So I have to ask, is it “woke” to expect an independent and fair judicial system with justice and accountability for those who break our laws? Or to think that all states deserve unconditional federal natural disaster aid if needed, that there should be independent entities within government to investigate corruption and abuse? Or that federal employees should not be fired without cause? Is it unreasonable to expect that our leaders for the most consequential offices in our government are qualified and experienced? Should we expect a peaceful and orderly transfer of power and a life free from fear of political retribution?

Is it “woke” to support human and civil rights and think police should protect and serve all people equally? Does believing that a woman should be free to make decisions without government interference make someone “woke”? If you believe all people deserve fair treatment and equal opportunity and that government should be a force for collective progress are you “woke”? Is it “woke” to think we should teach and learn about our history?

Is it “woke” to believe in the separation of powers with its inherent system of checks and balances, that white supremacy is wrong, that the super-rich should not have unfettered access to our government and that hatred and violence have no place in our society or politics?

Does the desire to protect our planet for future generations, to preserve our democracy, to want our children to be safe at school, to reject U.S. expansionism and imperialism, to believe that cultural diversity strengthens our country and to oppose putting too much political power in the hands of one person make someone “woke”?

If these ideals are “woke,” then sign me up. They are values, principles and norms that have made America great for nearly 250 years. In our rush to remake government, let us not trample over the very things that make us proud Americans.

Everyone should be alarmed by President Trump’s actions, regardless of their political persuasion. We all must stand up, speak out and push back against any extreme policies and practices that threaten our core values as Americans and destroy our sense of shared humanity.

We must “stay woke” and cannot be afraid or remain silent.

Sheila Stocks-Smith is a political and community activist in Springfield who manages the Urban Action Network, a nonprofit organization supporting community and economic development. She serves on the city of Springfield’s Community and Economic Development Commission.

This article appears in The impossible task of providing child care.